ISI behind Kabul terrorist attacks: Afghan Ambassador

Washington D.C [USA], Jan 30 (ANI): Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mahmoud Saikal on Monday accused Pakistan's premier intelligence network, ISI of training one of the Kabul attackers on Tuesday.

"Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the terrorists involved in last week's attack on Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, concedes his son was trained in Balochistan province by the ISI," Saikal wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban claimed responsibilities for the attack. Pakistan had denied its involvement. A mid-level diplomat at the Afghan embassy in the US alleged the attack was planned by Pakistan.

"A clear proof that the attack on the hotel was planned in a madrasa on Pakistan's soil. Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the suicide attackers, is an eyewitness of the story," wrote Majeed Qarar, the cultural attache at the embassy of Afghanistan on the micro-blogging site.

"The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in Maiwand's Afghan National Army (ANA) base were military grade goggles (Not sold to the public) procured by Pakistan army from a British company and supplied two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in Kashmir and Taliban in Afghanistan," he posted in another tweet.

The Afghan Ambassador to the US, Hamidullah Mohib, did not respond to questions made by his cultural attache.

In an op-ed, Marvin G. Weinbaum, director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute said the Taliban appeared to have chosen urban guerrilla warfare to demonstrate their undiminished strength as a fighting force.

"The Taliban are intent upon undermining the public's confidence that their government and its foreign allies can offer Afghans basic security," he said.

Pakistan on Monday has called for a "credible and inclusive" peace initiative with Afghanistan to end the political instability and suicide attacks on the other side of the border that separates both the countries.

According to the Express Tribune, Islamabad is pinning hopes on Kabul to announce a comprehensive peace initiative during a regional conference that is scheduled to take place in Kabul next month.

The meeting will be attended by Afghanistan's neighbours and also other international countries to arrive at a consensus on how to end the chaos in the country.

It also seeks Afghanistan to be on the driving seat for any peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and other insurgent groups.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained frosty due to the latter's constant blame on Pakistan's non-cooperation on tackling terrorism and insurgency and also sending terrorists to Afghanistan for conducting suicide attacks over the years.

Pakistan is mulling to send a high-level delegation to Afghanistan in order to iron out differences between both countries and ensuring constant cooperation in various fields, ahead of the Kabul Process conference.

This comes at a time when Afghanistan has been ravaged by a series of deadly terrorist attacks during the last few days, particularly in Kabul.

A group of attackers stormed the Marshal Fahim Military University in Kabul, killing five soldiers and injuring 10 others earlier in the day.

On Saturday, Taliban militants detonated an explosive-laden ambulance in a busy area close to Kabul's infamous Chicken Street, killing 103 people, as confirmed by the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI).

Around six people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside the 'Save the Children' office. The Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed the responsibility on Thursday.

Also, at least 22 people, mostly foreigners were killed, when the Taliban militants stormed a luxury hotel on January 20. (ANI)